Bledsoe stars in preseason opener

With Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Grant Hill all on the bench watching, third-year guard Eric Bledsoe got plenty of time in the spotlight Saturday, and boy, did he make the most of it.

Showcasing the all-around skills that have earned him the "mini-LeBron" nickname from his teammates, Bledsoe scored a game-high 25 points in the Clippers' 106-104 loss to Denver in Las Vegas.

Bledsoe delivered with an exceptional reverse layup with 3 seconds remaining to tie the game, but Denver guard Ty Lawson made a driving lay-in to beat the buzzer and win the game from the Nuggets at Mandalay Bay.

Blake Griffin struggled to get into any kind of offensive rhythm and looked uncomfortable with his new free-throw form. He also struggled on the defensive end when matched up one-on-one with Kenneth Faried in the post. Griffin scored only 6 points with 7 rebounds.

DeAndre Jordan showed off his improved post game, scoring on a nice up-and-under move and a jump hook. Jordan was also active around the basket, getting a lot of easy dunks after Clippers' guards got into the paint. Jordan finished with 14 points and 3 blocks.

Willie Green got the start at shooting guard and struggled to make a strong case to stay there. Both Bledsoe and Matt Barnes looked more effective Saturday.

Jamal Crawford caught fire in the second and fourth quarters, scoring 19 points and dishing out 5 assists.

The Clippers struggled defending the three-point shot and making the three-point shot. The Nuggets hit 8-of-17 from three (47.1 percent), while the Clippers were just 4-of-15.

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